


Heaven by Two Names, One Place

by kosmeja



Series: Kuji-inn [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 17:19:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16538903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kosmeja/pseuds/kosmeja
Summary: In which Sasuke learns to appreciate the small things and Ino shows her skills.





	1. Opening

**Author's Note:**

> In terms of work this is... abstract, even for me. Basically, I'm filling in some holes for this weird AU I've created, and while it's not necessary to read every fic featured in this work, it would provide just a little context! Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

When he became a Genin, Sasuke didn't plot out the specifics of his career as a ninja. He didn't think of the bullshit menial work that went hand in hand with graduating, because he was a man on a mission. Even before he was swept up by Orochimaru-sama, this was a fact. Before the Wave mission, where he was first shown the limits of his strength and the power of his teammates, he had one goal in mind. Find Itachi, kill him to rightfully honor his clan's memory. 

The last Uchiha said as much on their very first day as a team, before that stupid fucking test. Both Naruto and Sakura had such childish dreams, he thought them both to be shortsighted, blinded by the 'glory' of serving Konoha. He was certain that they would not last long, given the circumstances and the harsh reality of the world, so just as quickly as they enter his life, they are written off as a means to an end.

Sasuke doesn't plot the specifics of his career because a career doesn't _matter_ when his purpose in life had been set in stone from the time he was old enough to walk. He would live to honor his clan, and by that honor, he would die. It wasn't glamorous like living a life of competency, or worthy of boast like becoming Hokage, but it would be _his_ life. He would clamor for the power to exact vengeance, and then burn out with the stars. 

He shouldn't have had anything to live for, and yet, his team fucking proved him wrong. He didn't predict _this_ , because how could he have?

"Sasuke-kun, aren't you coming?" Sakura turns, hands behind her back and that same _annoying_ smile on her face that makes him forget how to be angry at the world. Blinking slowly, he tries to recall where he's being lead this time around. The Dobe is nowhere to be seen, and when it's clear that he had been spacing out, Sakura pouts a little deeper. "We're going to meet Sensei. He didn't say _what_ it was about, but I have a pretty good idea." Oh, right. He left his home with purpose today and Sakura wasn't just accompanying him on an afternoon stroll.

He falls in step behind her and she accepts his movements as compliance. Once again, Sasuke is unquestionably thankful for her hardheaded nature and their friendship. She didn't pressure him to talk, didn't pester him in the same fashion that his fangirls did. Even if she had been... annoying, at first, he had come to recognize that her doting qualities were simply her personality. She was timid by nature (or, she was until Naruto brought out her more... boisterous side), and he didn't hate her for it. It wasn't a weakness, but a learned sort of respect, because they were partners in work before that bond had deepened to a friendship.

He thinks on what Orochimaru had once told him. _"True power comes with the release of such bonds."_

He looks to the pinkette leading the way. A Chunin with the skills to probably take on most Jōnin, should she choose. A knowledgeable girl, who used her intelligence to aid in her taijutsu specialty. If she could hold on to her own bonds, keep such power while keeping the idle affections of her dear friends, then why couldn't he?

"...Do you even _listen_ when I talk? I swear, sometimes you're worse than Naruto." Such a comment would never have been uttered in the infancy of Team 7, and yet Sakura says so with a smile that makes Sasuke growl. Of course, she knows how to get to him. And... sure, he was lost in his own thoughts, but he had a lot going on today!

The smirk falls from her face as she sees something in his icy expression that he couldn't have possibly interpreted, and she steps forward. They're in broad daylight, on a common path, and she's close. Not intimately so, but easily slipping past casual boundaries. "You're worried, aren't you?" Her fingers are cool against his cheek and he wants to curse. When had she become so bold, again? Who was teaching her these mind reading techniques? Had she picked something up from hanging with the Yamanaka?

"Hn." 

"You're a child when it comes to emoting, but I understand." She brushes his skin and the warmth of his face betrays his expression. Swatting her hand away passively, he turns again. 

"I'm not. And I'm nothing like the Dobe." Naruto was sunlight and crisp summer air. Burning, eternally warm but never unpleasant. He could light an entire room with his words or that stupid smile and Sasuke was nothing of the sort, in comparison.

Sakura simply quirks a brow, keeping that same sickeningly sweet smile as she retreated to a more sociable distance. "Okay, okay. But, really. If you still need someone to talk to about... you know." About Orochimaru, about betraying the village, betraying his _team_ in some mad grab for power. "You know that Naruto and I wouldn't... we wouldn't think any differently of you." Deep down, he knows that she's absolutely right. The entire reason he was even back now is that they didn't think any differently of him, after a year and a half of being groomed by a Sanin. They saw his night terrors, the way he always hesitated before a fight on missions, and they embraced him anyway.

Quietly, he asks it. "...would you two really have done it?" He's brought back to Orochimaru's research post in Amegakure. Bitter rain harried by the tempest, the patter of footsteps in the mud as the three of them brawled it out. Naruto's initial punch had been a bit of a proclamation. He could have come forward with his signature jutsu but chose not to. So, the three of them kept to the taijutsu that had been hammered into them in their infancy as a team. Sakura's much faster than he remembers, and it takes an activated Sharingan to confirm that her movements aren't even chakra enhanced. She's legitimately just strong enough to make the ground crumble beneath her feet. Naruto's swift on his feet, more creative and fluid with his strange boxing than Sasuke had ever seen.

Some point, even with the training he had received, with the progress he'd made, the prodigy is overwhelmed by his teammates. Pinned in the mud like vermin, with the pinkette clawing at his shirt, leaning into him and whispering. "We will leave _with_ you. If we can't bring you back to the village, we'll go with you and... him." And Naruto's clearly in on this, because he's shouting up some jutsu _now_ , to drown out conversation and Sasuke's surprised expression with his own theatrics. So... the two most loyal shinobi that Konoha had to offer, would have easily turned their backs on the village for him?

_"Those who abandon their friends are scum. To abandon your village? Is lower than the scummiest."_

So, he shakes his head in contrition. Exclaims that he had been 'captured', and the show gets out of hand from that point on. Apparently, Naruto decided to stop holding back, and the mere _notion_ that he could control the Kyuubi's chakra was enough to scare Orochimaru off to regroup. He's captured, and the pride of Konoha is returned, heralded as an outcast for what he had done. What he _chose_ to do to his village-

"Sasuke!" He turns his head just slightly, being pushed away from memories of fresh rain and molten ash, and back into a present of crisp autumn leaves and the smell of Sakura's shampoo on his shirt. That second sense is what allows him to dodge Naruto's punch, and as the brunette prepares a jutsu to burn his friend alive, he explains. "Sakura's been trying to get your attention for ages now, what's up with you?" The last Uchiha is pissed but tries to get over the fact that Naruto's go to seemed to be assaulting him. Except... his expression softens, and the fist that had just narrowly missed his head clamps down on his shoulder. "You know we're still here for you, right? After this meeting, we can go to Ichiraku's and I'll get Teuchi ji-san to make us something. We can... do whatever you want." Naruto's concern is just as surprising, and the boy turns to Sakura, who's mirroring their blonde teammates' worry.

Yeah, he really couldn't have anticipated this.

"...I'm better, now. Really." He wasn't, and so long as Itachi lived and he was under scrutiny by the village, he never would be. The Will of Fire still burned in him, but Konoha itself was suffocating now. The village was too quiet, too stifling and he hated it with every fiber of his being. The Uchiha monuments simply removed, his family remembered by nothing but the burned down and desecrated district. As a child, living among the graveyard had been harsh, but it was a way of being close to them all. With Orochimaru, being given a chance to see the world, to see his own potential as a fighter and get a taste of what growth could be was exhilarating. The insight that the scientist had onto the Uchiha went far beyond anything Konoha had ever offered him, and Sasuke was certain that if the Sanin wasn't diabolical, he would be an incredible informant. Konoha was... none of this. It was a monument of falsehoods, of false peace and prosperity forced through the brutal defeat of any and all defectors.

The fact that he was even _alive_ was only testament to Naruto's swing as a Jinchuriki.

"You're still making that face." Swallowing the knee-jerk instinct to punch the blonde, Sasuke heaves a sigh, rolling his eyes as he began to walk again. Didn't they have a meeting to get to? It wasn't every day that Kakashi actually requested to meet with them for something other than training or a mission. To hear that their Jonin sensei was seeking them out was... a little worrisome.

"Ne, Sasuke. If your teammates are expressing concern for you, don't you think there's a better response? I thought we all agreed, the whole 'cool and quiet' thing wasn't for you." Sakura's already holding his hand, distracting him from affixing his fingers into the well-practiced jutsu he wanted to hurl at their sensei for yet again, sneaking up on them. His smooth monotone drops from a tree behind them and somehow, even when they were fully aware of his presence, the team couldn't pick up any hints of him.

Truly an Anbu captain, if he'd ever seen one.

"What did you want, Sensei?" It isn't a bad day, so Sasuke decides to at least hear the man out rather than gripe about his choice of words. Watching the silver-haired Jonin move from his perch in the tree, his singular eye goes to their hands for a moment, the way Naruto seems to hover a little closer to his rival than usual, and then thinks better of the response he was _going_ to say.

"How rude." He rolls with the new information as if someone had told him that the sky was now green. "I'm simply here to deliver a message. And here I thought you three might be _excited_ with the prospect of becoming Jōnin..." He leads with the bait and Naruto's quick to bite, scurring forward like an excitable child and practically whooping.

" _Jōnin?_ You're pulling our leg, Sensei. You're really gonna nominate us for Jōnin?" His voice is beyond glee, a child discovering that his birthday had come early. Meanwhile, Sakura looks skeptical, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"But... there's a protocol before nominations can be given out. Don't we have to like... accomplish some sort of 'feat' that our peers haven't? We can't actually be in the running, right?" She was well versed on the inner machinations of the Hidden Leaf and for all of the things it got right in terms of bureaucracy, this little detail was archaic. Outside of the wars, Jounin were hand-picked by the Kage and nominated by only the highest echelon of Konoha's elite. Kakashi's recommendation would be a shining star on any sort of file the three of them had, but they couldn't have possibly done anything worthy of earning it.

Sasuke thinks for a moment, while their sensei is clearly having a field day with their reactions. "...We've been doing nothing but C and B ranks. We've _done_ A ranks with Sensei but... none of those could count, for a feat, right?"

As if anticipating this, the Sensei simply shrugs. It was a bit impromptu and unprofessional for a meeting place, but a sunny little lane that was sparsely used by pedestrians was as good a place as any. "They wouldn't under normal circumstances. But, Naruto, Sakura." Turning toward his two points of pride, his tone grows a little more serious. "Bringing back a former missing-nin _alive_ is no small feat. Forcing a Sannin to retreat, no other Chunin has that under their belt." He avoids looking at Sasuke, but the mere title 'former missing-nin' brings a strange sort of pang to his chest. A reminder that no matter how far he'd come, there would be no 'going back'. There's no home to be had in a village he ha abandoned in his pursuit for power.

But... he could be excited for his teammates, still.

"That does sound rather impressive. Have the daimyo heard that two of Konoha's Chunin managed to subdue me _and_ played a role in driving off one of the Sannin? Surely, that would be enough to grant them some sort of fame." As much as the prospect of his teammates fighting on the front lines terrified him, Sasuke wouldn't lie to himself. Both Naruto and Sakura had come far from the meek, overzealous children they had been prior to his departure. While he wasn't present for their growth, he could see the fruits of their training and testify to their strengths wholeheartedly. Such a response seems to genuinely stump their Sensei, as he stays quiet for a moment.

"...They haven't, actually. The news that your even in the village isn't very well known. There are rumors of course, but with Naruto's mouth... well." There had been rumors for years, then. Naruto has the decency to at least appear a little bashful, while Sakura excitedly shoves his shoulder.

"Wait, so you're really gonna give us your recommendation? Just like that?" It didn't include Sasuke just yet, but that was fine. What was rank between a team? Little barriers, meaningless titles that meant nothing in the heat of battle. They would still depend on him just like they did in Wave, during the Chūnin Exams, and during the Invasion. He's their glue, and not even this would change things.

Except... Kakashi shakes his head. "No. There's still training to be done before you hear _my_ recommendation, Sakura. And Naruto, I'm pretty sure Tsunade would skin me alive if I were to recommend you for more responsibility." Their jaws drop, and Sasuke has to hold Sakura's hand this time around, as she balls the pretty fingers into a fist. While Naruto looks near tears at having his hopes dashed so easily, Sasuke's perplexed.

"...Why bring up Jōnin recommendations, then?" There had to be a point to this meeting because for how playful Kakashi could be, this sort of prank was beyond him. Right?

Their sensei shrugs once more as if stating the obvious. "If you kept in touch with your fellow rookies, you'd know. Yamanaka Ino's been recommended for Jōnin by her sensei. Under some... interesting conditions." He sounds as if he's spreading gossip now and the surprised shouting to his left and right do well to complement the confusion on his own face.

"Ino-pig got recommended for Jōnin and didn't tell _me?_ I'll throttle her!" 

"How did she get Jōnin before us? Did Shikamaru and Chouji get it too? _Why?_ " 

Both are overly exuberant and okay, maybe not exactly Jōnin material now that he gave it a moment of thought. But... what does Ino's recommendation have to do with them? It didn't really matter unless she was going to be overseeing a mission with them. And even _then_ , it was nothing to call a meeting over. Clearly reading his thoughts, the Jōnin sensei cough.

"Keep that excitement, Sakura. You might get the chance to do just that. Asuma tasked her with... well, beating all of the Rookie 9 in direct combat."

" _What?_ "

"Let me finish. She has to challenge them herself, and then beat them. So far, she's worked her way through Team 10 and Gai's squad with a... unsettling amount of success. The other Jōnin and I all agreed that it was a tad unorthodox, but if she were to beat Konoha's very own budding assault squad in a _fight_ , her skills as a ninja would speak for themselves. Fighting full squads of ninja on your own is no small feat, and is actually an implicit expectation of most Jōnin."

His head's already reeling and Sasuke could feel the abject shock silence his teammates as well. Trying to picture it, he would have never expected Ino to be the one to lead them as a prodigy. She was a splendid kunoichi without a doubt, but having the capacity to fight full _teams_ by herself, without something like the Sharingan or Tailed Beast Chakra to aid her?

"...She can't possibly be that strong, right?" What had she gone through? What sort of struggles made her determined enough to train so hard that she could stand up to any of the Rookies? Besides, Ino-Shika-Cho were supposed to be a secondary assault squad, precise hitters as opposed to heavy hitters like his own team. How could she hope to beat them alone?

"You called us here because you don't want Naruto to use his tailed beast, or me to use my Sharingan." Sasuke's starting to understand, even if his mind's still reeling from the reality presented to him. How had Ino amassed such power? Wasn't Team 8's specialty support? Sure, between the three of them, their skills must have been rather varied and well suited toward a variety of missions, but... what could she have done to earn her notoriety?

Naruto looks a little lost still, while their pink haired mate clearly understood now. "We have to take this seriously, but we don't wanna _really_ hurt her." It puts them at a genuine disadvantage, but still completely workable. Kakashi nods in agreement as Naruto "ooohs" 

"Right. This should be good training for you three to work on some of your other skills. As strong as your specialties are, a truly splendid ninja is versatile." Coming from the Copycat Ninja himself, such a tidbit was probably the understatement of the year and all three of them knew it. All of the Jōnin level nin that they were familiar with were famous for one thing or another, but the one thing they all had in common was a staggering mastery of what some would consider 'core fundamentals'. While Sakura was physically stronger than Kakashi and Sasuke _knew_ that he was faster, neither of them could dream of keeping up with him in a bout of raw taijutsu just because of how varied and adaptable his stances were. He had a trick up his sleeve for every one of their blows, and then some.

Could Ino really have reached that level of skill herself?

"...what are the conditions of the spar?" Did she have to knock all three of them unconscious? Because knocking _Naruto_ out was something that was noteworthy, if anyone could accomplish it.

"She has to make you admit defeat, by whatever means." Oh, she was absolutely screwed. How could the stupidest, most formidable bunch of ninja he'd ever known admit defeat? 

"Can we... can we say no to this? I don't wanna fight Ino, really." The idea that she would have to... genuinely hurt her best friend just to prove a point doesn't sit well with her and this sort of training exercise feels skewed in their favor entirely. "She can fight another team of Chunin."

"You'd prefer she be subjected to the skills of the veteran ninja in Konoha?" Here, Kakashi twists a knife just a little bit and it may have been unfair but it's the truth.

"...How do we win? Get her to quit?" He wouldn't typically ignore the wishes of his friends like this, but... maybe there was a way they could do this without hurting Ino? Was Kakashi looking to them to solve this without fighting? When the silver-haired man simply nods, Sasuke feels just a little annoyed. Why were they being roped into this sort of game? Was this some sort of ploy by the village elders to see if the Uchiha was still inherently violent?

The other two must sense his displeasure, because Naruto's whooping in that overzealous way he constantly did, patting the wind out of Sasuke's chest. "That'll be easy! I'm sure if Sasuke just smiles at her, she'll give up. Right?" There's a brief silence as Sasuke genuinely considers it and Sakura fumes silently before Kakashi decides that he had seen enough.

"...Right. Just show up to Training Ground 12 by noon tomorrow. And uh, try not to mind the crowd. Asuma might have told a few of his buddies and well... you know how ninja gossip." Before they could hope to bombard him with more questions, the man is gone in a Shushin'd whirl of leaves, leaving the group stumped.

"Do you guys wanna get some lunch?" Naruto is quick to recover, as he starts to walk in the direction of the civilian districts. "Ichiraku's has been on my mind all day. We can like, make a plan of attack for Ino while we're there." 

Sakura falls in step behind the blonde, hands folded behind her back as she hummed thoughtfully. "...Do you think it'll be difficult? I mean, all we have to do is avoid getting hit by her mind control jutsu. I'm sure that's how she beat the others too." As they walked, the conversation would continue in such a fashion. While... it wouldn't be optimal to simply distract Ino with her own crush for Sasuke, if their plan fell through, they could work with that as a backup.

* * *


	2. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual action and conclusion of this part of Kuji-Inn

Konoha's training grounds are a palace for some acts of bravery, wit, and absurd stupidity. Genin used to regularly incinerate themselves on the vast forests that the ninja have known to call home, and Hashirama's trees stand vigilant against the test of jutsu and experimentation gone awry. On this day, one such training ground is her battlefield. Yamanaka Ino is many things. To some, a prodigy only overshadowed by other clan geniuses. A kunoichi of Konoha's finest squad, the heir to her clan, and a fashionista the likes of which no one had ever seen before. She was full of love and pride for the village that had raised her. By such, it only made sense that she wanted this, right? She wanted Jōnin more than anything else she had ever known, if only because it would be the penultimate stepping stone in her path. Shikamaru and Chouji were already proud of her, her family was already boasting of her accomplishments. It was rare for Yamanaka to stray from the path of research and interrogation since their unique ninjutsu made them suited towards such tasks. Her father was the exception to the rule and clearly, his daughter was now following in his footsteps.

Except, Inoichi didn't make Jōnin until he was 20, given a choice between dying with his squad in a mission he botched or fighting Iwagakure nin till his dying breath, praying that reinforcements came before he could die. He wasn't a prodigy or even _ambitious_ as a soldier of Konoha. Simply just a body in the right place, wrong time. He was driven in his pursuit for strength by a need to survive, while Ino was...

Ino was driven by her pride. Sure, it did her a great honor to serve Konoha and keep it safe however she could, but hearing that she could be one of the youngest kunochi to ascend to Jōnin since the Third Shinobi War filled her with... some weird sense of completion. She wasn't following in her fathers' footsteps because they weren't at war. The village was ushering in a new peace, the Fifth rightfully settled in her seat of power, an uneasy truce between Suna and Konoha formed over the bonding of their respective jinchuriki. There are whispers of bandits, of S class missing-nin congregating for some goal that remained unseen. It's... different than war plans, marches made for territory and supplies in the unforgiving climate of Rice Country. She's the first of a new era, a Jōnin hopeful that wanted nothing more than to prove her power.

It's this pride, that drives her to arrive early. Before Team 7 would even meet up that morning, Ino would be hard at work in the woods, setting traps, creating little markers for herself, completely indistinguishable from the forest and fauna. She understands her specialty, and the only advantage she would have against that team in any fight was the element of surprise. 

Hopefully, that would be enough.

She can hear the 'audience' that Asuma spoke of as the early rays of dawn grow brighter through the trees. Ninja were discreet at the very least, but she can feel the eyes on her from just beyond the barrier provided by the training ground. Anbu? It seems a little... excessive for what would be a friendly spar, but if they were interested in watching, who was she to complain? So long as they kept their distance from the forest proper and avoided setting off any of the traps, things would be fine.

Things would be fine, and she just had to tell herself that time and time again. She knew what to do, who she was up against and what it entailed. When Asuma insisted that she challenge the rest of the Rookie 9, _this_ had been the battle she was most looking forward to. The only person to beat out her scores in ninjutsu and taijutsu in the academy, combined with the academic powerhouse and a stamina monster. An impossibly well-rounded unit for a front line squad and from the beginning, Ino understood that she would not be able to abuse their weaknesses in the same way that she could abuse the failings of Team 10's. All of them specialized in radically different things, each ninja bringing either an S-rank jutsu or skill to the battle that she wouldn't be able to outmaneuver on her best of days.

But, there was something that could be done. Like all teams, Team 7 had their failings. And she didn't have to beat them at their own game, she just had to _win_.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" She doesn't feel a signature until he's molding the chakra for the jutsu and feels a tinge of annoyance at that. Who taught _Naruto_ how to avoid sensors? Even if she were a low level one, the blind could normally pinpoint the burning resonance of Naruto's chakra, which was as chaotic and unwieldy as his own personality. There's no fanfare to their arrival and she's no longer scared or even annoyed because without even realizing it, they just played into the open stages of her attack.

Now that the covers blown, she can easily make out the signatures that were recently dimmed. Sakura's chakra is as grating as always, snaking beneath the earth in some bastardization of Kakashi's Head Hunter technique, while the warmth of a Katon is made obvious from the treeline far in the distance. Naruto's clones are almost as bad as Shino's swarms, and just as plentiful as they fill out the bramble above and the clearing in her line of sight. 

Going all out from the beginning? Good, good.

"Fire Style! Great Dragon Fireball!" She's still standing in place as the roaring inferno comes, standing in the very same spot as Sakura burrows closer and closer and the yelling of Naruto's clones is audible over the crackle of flames materialized from raw chakra. Enemy ninja would probably just be shitting bricks if a Sharingan user and apprentice to the Sanin just came at them, guns ablaze. But Ino's calm is almost... meditative. She's done drills for this, she's done combat scenarios and played it out with Shikamaru and Chouji. She knew the Konoha standard and the codes and regulations about this exact sort of protocol. Just... just a few more steps...

* * *

Sasuke doesn't exactly like that they're not going with Naruto's plan, but he's somewhat happy that the knucklehead agreed to his part in all of this. This sort of attack was meant to disable and defeat ninja in a single, powerful blow. Ino was resilient and prepared if nothing else, so even if they hurt her, she'd bounce back. Sakura's a splendid medic and a few burn wounds wouldn't kill anyone.

Except... Ino never moves. She doesn't falter in her stance as twenty Naruto's close in from each and every visible angle, even when it's clear that she would be worm food to his jutsu or Sakura's if she didn't at least try to dodge or replacement jutsu away. It's eerie, to imagine that she's frozen in fear. And he's a little disappointed in this showing, too! How was this the best that Konoha could recommend for Jōnin? Had she really been able to defeat an entire team of Chunin by herself?

If his Sharingan weren't activated, he would have missed the smirk that came to her face. The confidence, as her fingers slipped into a cage and every clone on the battlefield disappeared in unison. His jutsu scorches the field and burns at trees like firewood on the hearth, while the plumes of clone smoke obscure the field of view. She's flared her Chakra but...?

"Are you guys really so reckless?" Her voice is in his head now, and as his fingers come up to dispel whatever genjutsu she had cast, a shuriken is thrown. It's still childs play to simply tilt his head a few inches, so the bladed weapon skitters past his cheek harmlessly. But... how could she be so accurate in this mist?

"Sasuke, _duck_!" It's Sakura's voice this time, loud and right beneath him as she comes bursting from the ground, burned in the crossfire of an attack not meant for her. What was happening? How did she get hurt? It's a learned effort to move his body in response to a sensation he can't see or hear, but it's the split second reaction that saves him from a shower of senbon, all riddled against the tree he had just been using as a hideout. When did Ino discover them? It doesn't matter, because even if she had thrown a wrench into the plan, Team 7 were best when they were improvising. Naruto's chakra was...nonexistent now? While Sakura's tampers off beneath the earth once more, swimming beneath trees like a shark looking for its prey.

Ino's fast and for a Chūnin, she's certainly skilled, but such talent pales in comparison to his speed. He's in front of her, tomoe of his eyes whirring to start up the genjutsu before the blonde could even think to do anything. She has no room to react, to set a trap or surprise them again and he makes certain of it. As the lilac eyes meet his and go listless with the chakra he forces into her pathways, he imagines the jutsu as she feels it. Simply being entrapped by Sakura's Headhunter technique, restrained and bound as the Anbu audience that watched it all applauded their creativity. To watch her freeze is... satisfying. But, it still doesn't explain anything of the last thirty seconds. How was she able to avoid Sakura and fight him? And what happened with Naruto?

"Lesson one, I guess?"

He nearly screams as the signature he assumed to be Sakura's tunneled right beneath him. A hand grabs him, pulling the boy neck deep into the earth before a dirtied looking blonde comes up. "You've heard of jutsu layering, right Sasuke?" he's absolutely furious with this turn of events because, with the use of his curse seal, or many of the earth jutsu he inherited with the Sharingan, he could have broken free. But because of the self-imposed limitations, he had to admit defeat. So angry, the question Ino asks goes right over his head.

When it becomes clear that he's taking the route of the silent prisoner, she sighs. "You're clearly not entertained. I'm sorry." Genjutsu? Had she employed some of her clans hidden techniques here? What was it, that lead to this situation? The mystery begins to unravel with a single hand sign made by the young Yamanaka. "Kai!" 

A flare of chakra he can accurately say is Inos, and... the target he used a genjutsu on lost her chakra? Blinking slowly, he watches as an unconscious Sakura falls to the ground in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he barks. "What did you do?!" This had to have been some trick by the Anbu, they must have interfered with the battle somehow, just to watch Team 7 lose. Would Kakashi really have allowed that?

Ino sits at the base of the tree he was just in, checking her appearance in a compact mirror as she spoke now. "You weren't listening. Jutsu layering. The art of combining two or more jutsu, typically lower-grade techniques, into something greater." ...And what was this demeanor? Wasn't she a fangirl still? How could she lecture him so calmly, when he recalled Sakura saying something about Ino 'still following the hopes of a childhood crush'? "I'll start with our encounter since it's probably obvious what I did now." She's reapplying lipstick as if it's the most natural thing in the world and the Uchiha is forced to glower at her still. 

* * *

The fireball blazing across the forest was heading straight for her, and even if... she couldn't get a hold of Naruto, the clones had been dispelled. Readying her hands in the formation, Ino can't help but smile. They didn't even set off her traps and instead, chose to come straight at her in a coordinated attack, just like Konoha had taught them.

Sakura grows near and now, Ino could see the little mound of dirt that was her mobile body beneath the earth, following the same trajectory that Sasuke's jutsu was on. Even if she had a way to get out of range, Sakura could easily close the distance...

So she waits until the girl shows herself to cast the jutsu, and just as the fire hits her body, her mind is separated into three individual parts. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Sakura's barely exposed hand freezes in place against Ino's ankle, and from the mole hole, she catches a glimmer of emerald eyes staring up at her in shock as the flames lick at her still body for just a moment, before the newly body-jacked Sakura casts a replacement jutsu on the immobile form of Ino, throwing her into a safe range. Namely, close enough to Sasuke to cast a second genjutsu on him, just to distract the boy from the second flare of chakra beneath the earth as 'Sakura' transforms her appearance, trades in the clean and pristine look that the Chūnin normally kept in favor for a freshly burned victim. 

With the ruse safely concocted, Ino swims beneath the earth, using Sakura's jutsu to the best of her ability, until she's beneath Sasuke. Bursting from beneath the ground, she shouts. "Sasuke, _duck!_ " In tandem with the release of one of her senbon traps. While it came nowhere near close to hitting the Uchiha, it did tip him off to the position of her real body, which was all she needed. Following behind him, the blonde waits for the uncomfortable tug of a genjutsu on her unconscious body to act, pulling Sasuke beneath the earth and breaking her own jutsu in the process.

* * *

"Does that make sense?" The Yamanaka is now sitting at the base of a tree in front of them both, cleaning the dirt from her nails as she watched for his reaction. Her... demeanor, the easy and matter of fact way in which she read through their formation and completely broke it apart... didn't actually upset Sasuke as much as he thought it would. It stung his pride (hell, Sakura might gasp if she heard him admit it), but neither of his teammates seemed to be seriously hurt and Ino had never lifted much of a finger against the three of them.

"...What do you mean you can 'layer' jutsu? When did you do it?" He had seen amazing and innovative tricks to do two jutsu at once, and combination ninjutsu performed by Orochimaru's henchmen, but he hadn't imagined that a ninja on their level could do such a thing.

"I can use the Mind Transfer Technique with the typical Henge to... well, fool the Sharingan. You took your eyes off me when you used that big jutsu, so I was able to swap places with Sakura, over there. While you were fighting my projection, I was looking for an opening." It's... such a simple explanation, a shrewd manner of fighting, that he feels just a little shocked. In just a couple of seconds, Ino was able to put forth a plan potent enough to incapacitate two member of their team.

"But... where's Naruto?" Now that he wasn't panicking, he could see the blonde's chakra signature far off in the distance, relatively safe but unmoving. At the mention, her eyes quirk up in amusement and the makeup case is snapped closed. "Oh, uh... I think he's fine? I tried to dispel those Shadow Clones with my clan's technique and it... backfired? Or at least, Naruto did something with his chakra to make it backfire. I think he knocked himself out in the process." Without question, the scariest part of her entire encounter with the team was dealing with that little slip-up. Naruto was supposed to be the one she controlled, so she could either subdue Sakura or Sasuke. But... the idiot knocking himself out wasn't exactly a bad thing, either.

He... couldn't be furious, the more he looked at her. He might have been strong, and he certainly took pride in his team, but... seeing it himself, Ino certainly was Jounin material. She was living proof of what Kakashi had tried to drill into their heads about the fundamentals of being a ninja. Skill, resourcefulness, and luck could do much for anyone.

Bowing his head, the bluenette has the briefest hint of a smirk on his face. "Alright, we concede." Sakura's snoozing right beside him, Naruto is unharmed, he is... content. This isn't a weakness, but just simple fact. They were outsmarted and outmaneuvered and for that, Ino had his respect.

* * *

The office of Lady Tsunade was just as Ino remembered it. The room itself was well protected, with the mask bearing ninja posted at each corner of the perimeter. Its singular window gives way to the midday sun and for once, the place didn't smell of cheap sake and stale papers. The desk was cleared and the Fifth Hokage wore her hat with pride, beaming at her former pupil with a respect Ino could not recall ever seeing on her face previously. For such a prestigious meeting, it still felt like she was just some snotty nosed brat graduating out of the Academy. Taking up her flank was, as always, Shikamaru and Chouji, both of whom practically barged in and demanded that they were included in the envoy. In front of her, Tsunade, Asuma, and her father all stood. 

"...Only 16. What have you been _teaching_ her, Asuma?" Inoichi let a joking comment go and her bearded sensei laughed in response, shrugging. "The same things her teammates learned. Just the basics. I guess she took that and went running with em." He had seen the fights, had known it to be true. Ino didn't use her clan techniques as a clutch, nor did she even rely on the myriad genjutsu she knew. Just simple tactics and applications of her skills in the right places. "I have to be honest, if I wasn't her sensei, I would have bet against her." And of _course_ there were bets. Once she had bested Team 8, news of her strength spread like wildfire. 

This managed to get a reaction from their leader. "Oi, you should have told me your student was a powerhouse Asuma. I lost out on 500 ryo because of you." The more they bickered, the less ceremonious everything felt. And yet...

"What do I get, for making Jōnin?" If Chūnin got that eyesore of a flak jacket, and ANBU walked around in animal masks and tights all day, Ino really couldn't imagine what sort of uniform Jōnin typically had. Luckily, Tsunade scoffs. "You get a bit of paperwork to sign. Waivers, junk that allows me to put you on the roster for A-ranks and lead B-ranks if your sensei approves. You still won't be out of your normal formation, much. But... this means you're that much more of an asset to the village." The praise made her beam and turning toward her teammates, she giggles.

"Okay, maybe I didn't have to drag you both here to watch me do _paperwork._ How about I treat you all to some food after this?" The cheer of excitement her team gives was brief, as Shizune approached, holding what was clearly a new uniform. Everyone quieted as Tsunade straightened in her seat, beckoning the young Yamanaka forward.

"Ino, do you intend to serve the village with your life? Uphold the standards and protect the people of Konoha within the best of your ability?" It's a line she's read far too many times before, and still, Ino's answer surprises her. Instead of looking completely sure of herself or solemn about her duties like most Jōnin candidates did, she... smiled bashfully.

"I do! I hope to learn much more, to make myself an asset in any way I can." She wasn't powerful in the same ways that Kakashi and Asuma were, nor did she have their level of experience. Bowing slightly, she accepts the gifts from Shizune before continuing. "I am in your care now, Lady Hokage."

There's... more silence that follows, as everyone watches the exchange. Shikamaru and Chouji, clearly not used to seeing such determination and maturity from their teammate, are shocked while the adults in the room look rather proud.

Stamping a page in her book, Tsunade hums in approval. "Welcome to the elite of Konoha, Ino. I look forward to seeing what more you're capable of!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading thus far, if you've actually managed to follow the story up until now!


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